Rising steelhead

[Equinox]

Was out to a creek in the west end ...with my 4 wt and came across a deep pool on a bend and watched numbers of trout rising ...some with force ( a tail splash)and other times more with out disturbing the water.I couldn't get any to take any dry fly.Any one know if they were feeding on surface or emerging mayflies? I'm new to fishing the hatches .Can any one advise.

 

[Rain-Bow]

Dunno. The steelhead in ontario don't take dry's like the steelhead in the pacific north-west. Maybe they were excited that they were finally going back into the lake

 

[salmotrutta]

They are pretty hard wired with what they will take and when they will take it. I've seen them come out in the evenings and munch on flies, just as they do when they are smolts. They are so focused on those flies some evenings, they won't care for a worm or roe bag. Their behaviour does seem kooky at times, they can be very selective eaters. They were feeding on a certain type of fly, and unless you matched the hatch, they simply weren't going to take it. I've often been able to get them on spinners in those situations, dangle something shiny in front of them long enough and they will strike.

 

[hightechdecks]

i always thought they surfaced while dropping back because of stresses brought on by warming water temps and confined spaces.

 

[Equinox]

I have heard of steelhead even taking skated flies on the surface but I thought that was more during there run and spawn times??...not sure it was the stress of confined space as this pool was easily 6 feet deep and 30-40 ft. long . I'm givin it another go soon and if I hook up on the fly ,then we will know more of what they are capable of.

 

[hightechdecks]

thats deep pool but they are used to being in the middle of the briny deep, just a though

 

[Spinninreel]

I've seen them do the same thing when fishing for them in lakes. Sometimes they do this dolphin thing where their dorsal fin comes out of the water and you can see a little of their back and then they disappear. Just like a dolphin when it comes up for air. This happens a couple of weeks after the ice is gone. I haven't had any luck in catching them at this time and am wondering if it has to do with the fact that maybe they can see you and are spooked. So in that situation maybe the key is being stealthy.

 

[Equinox]

I was out at the same pool watching the same occurrence ....there was no apparent hatch obvious ....I started presenting some dry fly patterns with no luck ...the fish still porposing as well as tail splash...so I tied on some emerger patterns and presented them on a dead drift below the surface...and I hooked up after a dozen or so drifts.Good healthy hen.I believe they were feeding on emerging mayflies just under the surface.There must be enough other forage as well as these insects to hold these steelhead for some time NNIICCEE!After ice out there might be the same occurrence in the lake shallows,so maybe stealth and fishing the depth of the emerging insects is key ...don't know?I believe the ice was out early this year allowing shore temps to heat up for such a thing.Anyone know ?

 

[LICENSETOPIN]

Not saying they are but are you sure all the fish you are witnessing were bows and not suckers? the pool you described sounds like the type of pool where mass amounts of suckers congregate before and after they're spawn, just odd that even though your seeing so many fish surface you only managed to hook up into one... maybe next time try dragging a fly through the pool and see if you suddenly start smashing sucker after sucker... Only witnessed steelies taking flies on surface once my self and only heard of one other time from my friend on a gbay trib where they actually were able to coax a couple into hitting dries.

 

[Equinox]

don't know ...Im givin it another go in a couple of days- dead drifting emergers just below the surface or if I see a hatch -given the warm temps- I'll try them again on the surface and see then.

 

[Spinninreel]

The ones I saw were definitely bows because there were no suckers in that body of water.

 

[ChaseChrome]

Believe it or not I've had success under those conditions (particularly when they don't seem to take) by tying on a bomber...go figure
CC

 

[Equinox]

fore sure lots of bows healthy in there ,hooked up 2 other times 1 on Hendrickson nymph with the same porpoise feeding action going on.Couldn't control there torpedo like retreat through the submerged forest and Snap .Thanks Chase, I'll ty up some deer "junk" and tease them ,next go aroundNice healthy drop backs in fast water taken to nymphing techniques .Had a riot hooked up about a 7 lb healthy girl in fast water and tried to finnesse her as much as I could with light tippet and 4 wt.short rod, got her on the sand when my knot broke.Awsome luck and action.Round 3 with maybe 7 wt. and 4 wt.